Smiley and Sunshine

48.

Best thing to do when already stressed? ~ procrastinate even more!!! Played myself so now I'm actually logging off for these next two weeks of hell.
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Every time Hayes wiped a tear droplet away with the pads of her fingers, another steamrolled its way down her cheek. The endless cycle kept going and going until finally she just got to the point of letting the tears freely run.

Hayes accepted the tears silently while refusing to accept any kind of comfort from her eldest brother. She remained rigid in the rocking chair, her legs hidden underneath the sweatshirt as the chair swayed in the blowing wind. The strings of the hoodie long forgotten as now her fingers were clenched into fists. Her fingernails dug harshly into her skin, hidden by the long sleeves.

She felt numb.

Are you leaving us too?

A simple yes or no bombshell thrown at her eldest brother.

Austin hadn't responded initially to her question, frozen at the words that dare came from her lips. He had been caught way off guard, with no clue where Hayes could have gotten that idea from.

Too.

As in, someone else was already going.

But the problem was, as far as the eldest brother was aware, none of the siblings were leaving. Unless she meant Francis who was going to college next year. But that wasn't new, and certainly not worth the panic she was feeling now.

Or was it the Bear she was referring too? Her Stockholm syndrome flaring up as he technically had left them as well, given that he was now 6 feet under. But like Austin has been thinking this whole time, that reaction just didn't vibe with her behavior thus far. Though it didn't mean it wasn't possible.

His little sister looked absolutely frightened right now with the belief that he could walk away this exact second and never return.

Hayes had to have been referring about one of the boys. Just had to be.

Wishful thinking made Austin believe that this was just a misunderstanding that he could clear up once and for all. He thought he could take a full breath of air again, fill his lungs up with no worry on his mind.

Sure, no problem. Piece of cake. Austin could fix this.

But, Houston there was a problem.

He may not have said anything aloud, but inadvertently his body language told Hayes everything she needed to know. The relief that had flitted across his face, whether he realized it or not, was what set her off. It was why now she sat withdrawn, despondent about life.

Because she now had this gut feeling that Austin was keeping something else from her.

Secrets.

Those gosh darn pesky little secrets.

The siblings should know by now that secrets come back to bite you in the ass sooner or later. Glen would soon enough receive that lesson.

Hayes somehow got lost in her thoughts, traveling too far down the rabbit hole to turn around. Now she wouldn't stop until she got her answers, even if she wasn't going to like what she found. In her mind, she didn't have a choice.

"Baby, I'm not going anywhere," the eldest brother said with complete sincerity in regards to her question.

Hayes raised her shoulder, blocking Austin from being able to wipe her face. Instead, she roughly rubbed her cheek against her fabric-covered knees making her fair skin turn red.